Despite consistent evidence linking elder abuse to adverse mental health outcomes, quantitative estimates remain limited. This study aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis focusing on the negative mental health consequences associated with elder abuse. A comprehensive search was performed across Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, and Scopus for peer-reviewed quantitative studies examining elder abuse as an independent variable and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5)-defined mental health outcomes among adults aged ≥60, published up to January 2024. A total of 23 studies comprising 73 effect sizes that met the inclusion criteria were reviewed. The meta-analyses revealed that older adults who experienced abuse were at a significantly higher risk of adverse mental health outcomes, with a pooled odds ratio (OR) of 2.524 (95% CI 2.300, 2.769), including depression (OR = 2.833 2.419, 3.319), anxiety (OR = 2.495 2.000, 3.113), suicidal ideation (OR = 2.249 1.827, 2.769), and sleep problems (OR = 2.368 1.827, 3.070). Despite evidence of publication bias, trim-and-fill adjustments moderately reduced effect sizes (overall: adjusted OR = 2.197; depression: adjusted OR = 2.094, sleep problems: adjusted OR = 1.732) without affecting robustness. Sensitivity analyses confirmed that results were stable after removing individual studies. Findings are primarily generalizable to community-dwelling older adults due to limited institutional data. Moderator analyses for anxiety outcomes should be interpreted with caution, given covariance among study-level factors. This is the first quantitative synthesis of elder abuse and mental health outcomes, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions and policies to mitigate these risks.
Fang et al. (2025) studied this question.